EU issues proposal to ban cloned animals in the food chain

The European Union has announced a five-year ban the use of cloned animal meat or milk for food production as well as well as a register for imports of semen and embryos of clones.

By Bruno Waterfield in Luxembourg

6:03PM BST 19 Oct 2010

John Dalli, the European health commissioner, said: "Cloning for food is not required. There's no need for it."

The European Commission ruled out banning food derived from the offspring of clones, products that are prohibited in Britain, because difficulty tracing meat and milk products that are identical from those coming from normal livestock.

The temporary suspension follows fears that emerged in Britain last August when meat from the offspring of a cloned cow was put on the market by a Scottish dairy farm.

It also addresses concerns from animal welfare groups but may not go far enough for the European Parliament, which had called for a total ban on food derived from cloned animals or their offspring.

Bart Staes, a Belgian Green MEP, said: "Cloning will still be allowed to take place, causing unnecessary harm to animals, and that the food from the offspring of clones will make its way on to our plates, even though the long term health risks have not been properly assessed."